Philly re-examining ties to famous native

1of2A mural on Broad Street in North Philadelphia depicts Bill Cosby in a purple sweater, a look reminiscent of his famous TV dad character, Dr. Cliff Huxtable.Photo: MARK MAKELA, STR / New York Times

2of2A pedestrian walks in front of a mural featuring featuring Bill Cosby between Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu in Philadelphia, Dec. 3, 2014. Nowhere has the comedianâs precipitous fall due to public accusations of sexual assault been more acutely felt than in Philadelphia, where he was a cherished native son. (Mark Makela/The New York Times)Photo: MARK MAKELA, STR / New York Times

PHILADELPHIA — It was seven weeks ago that a stand-up comic named Hannibal Buress ripped into a local icon at the Trocadero Theatre, calling Bill Cosby a “rapist” and setting in motion a cascade of ugly allegations that threaten to undermine an image Cosby built over decades.

Nowhere has the precipitous fall of Cosby been more acutely felt than in Philadelphia, where he was a cherished native son who shot to fame spinning humorous tales of a childhood in public housing, and as an adult became a philanthropist and cheerleader for his hometown.

But as more than 15 women have publicly accused the comedian of assault, often after drugging them, his hometown has plunged into a re-examination of his life and ties to the city. It is a process painful and sad, as residents try to square the image of Cosby as a beloved father figure, extolling on TV and in books the value of education and intact African-American families, with allegations of his sexual violence toward women going back five decades.

Last Monday, Cosby resigned from the board of his alma mater, Temple University, amid a pressure campaign by students and alumni.

Cindy Bass, a City Council member who grew up in North Philadelphia and attended Temple, credited Cosby with bringing national recognition to the 37,000-student university, a haven for poor and working-class students.

A growing national awareness of the issue of sexual assault, echoed in cases in the military and on campuses, seems to explain part of why the allegations against Cosby, first made more than a decade ago, have resurfaced with such force.

On Wednesday, two women who had not previously spoken out appeared at a news conference in Los Angeles to accuse Cosby, including one who said the comedian invited her to his hotel room in Las Vegas in 1986, drugged her and sexually assaulted her.

On Broad Street in North Philadelphia, a mural depicts Cosby in a loose purple sweater, his trademark look from “The Cosby Show.”

Nicole Cooper, 33, who works at a nearby laundry, said that with so many accusers telling similar stories, she found them credible.

“You can’t just say he didn’t do it because he was Cliff Huxtable,” she said.